"Like many states, Pennsylvania faces a crisis in the health care
industry," Governor Rendell said. "As our population ages, we need more
nurses to provide the care our citizens need and deserve. We must take
steps now to ensure that nurse-education programs have the facilities and
faculty they need to train the future nursing workforce that the health
care industry and our commonwealth's citizens will most certainly require."

"By expanding class sizes and hiring additional nurse education
faculty, we can enroll and train more nurses and grow the workforce," said
Department of Labor & Industry Acting Secretary Sandi Vito, who announced
the state investment of $750,000 that will leverage at least $870,000 in
private-sector matching funds at a press conference at the Lancaster
General College of Nursing & Health Sciences. "Part of meeting
Pennsylvania's health care needs is making sure that prospective nursing
students have room to enroll in courses and pursue the degrees that lead to
their intended career."

The Nurse Education Initiative grants help increase educational quality
and enable institutions to expand their programs by providing faculty
coordination and training services. The initiative also enables nursing
programs to hire one faculty member who is dedicated to incorporating
simulation technology into the curriculum, thereby providing the most
productive and efficient use of simulation labs and increasing the number
of students nursing programs can enroll.

The grants address nurse education and workforce retention challenges
identified in a Pennsylvania Center for Health Careers report, which was
produced by a workgroup that included representatives of hospitals,
long-term care organizations, inpatient and outpatient providers,
professional associations, and labor and state organizations. The group
used national and state-level research to identify specific challenges
facing Pennsylvania's health care industry and recommend strategies for
overcoming them.

Additionally, the grants help support partnerships between health care
employers and nursing education programs to add faculty and increase
student enrollment. The grants provide financial incentives to health care
employers to lend qualified nurses as faculty to nursing programs that
demonstrate a critical need for new faculty to expand their enrollment.

The grants are part of a $2.5 million fund appropriated by the General
Assembly and targeted at reducing the state's nursing shortage.

Since Governor Rendell took office, graduates from Pennsylvania's
nursing programs have more than doubled. Registered Nurse graduates
increased to 5,937 in 2006 from 2,939 in 2003; Licensed Practical Nurse
graduates increased to 2,347 from 1,236.

The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public
education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing
economic investment to support our communities and businesses. To find out
more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly
newsletter, visit: http://www.governor.state.pa.us.

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